1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the field of devices used for cooling eggs traveling through the egg processing stations of an egg processing plant. Initially eggs are washed and, as such, the temperature thereof is raised during this washing process. Also the eggs are warm having been only recently laid. As a result eggs will exit the washer at an elevated temperature.
It is important that this temperature be lowered in order to prevent the possibility of bacterial growth which could result in salmonella or other undesirable bacterial growths.
When the eggs exit the washer they are often of a temperature as high as 80 or 90 degrees due to the fact that the eggs have been only recently laid as well as washed.
It does take a significant amount of time for eggs to move from 80 or 90 degrees to the desired temperature of approximately 45 degrees. Therefore the eggs must be maintained in the cooling chamber for an extended period of time. If the eggs were allowed to travel upon a linear conveyor the length of such a cooling chamber would be excessive and expensive. That is, the cooling chamber would be very long due to the fact that reducing the temperature of the interior of recently laid and washed eggs by 45 degrees Fahrenheit takes a significant amount of time even within a cooled chamber. Also line length is a problem in such a processing plant because of the limitation in the size of the processing plant itself. For this reason the present invention provides a means for allowing the conveyor to loop upon itself and gradually decrease the temperature of eggs within a confined section of the processing line while at the same time allowing the eggs to be reduced to the desired temperature of approximately 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Preferably such a cooling tunnel would supply the eggs directly to a grader which would then separate the eggs by size for packing thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous devices which have been utilized for the purpose of cooling items such as eggs and these are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,250,540 patented Dec. 18, 1917 to W. Young and assigned to Soap Works Equipment Company on a "Method Of Rapidly Aging Solidified Plastic Articles"; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,322,279 patented Nov. 18, 1919 to T. Allsop et al and assigned to The Philadelphia Drying Machinery Company on a "Drying-Machine"; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,863,484 patented Jun. 14, 1932 to C. L. Jones et al and assigned to Dryice Corporation of America on a "Storage House"; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,891,425 patented Dec. 20, 1932 to A. Kronquest and assigned to Continental Can Company, Inc. on a "Freezing Apparatus"; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,892,224 patented Dec. 27, 1932 to D. Sorber on an "Apparatus For Freezing Canned Goods"; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,923,721 patented Aug. 22, 1933 to G. Glenn on a "Hinge"; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,221,343 patented Nov. 12, 1940 to H. Mulvany on a "Method For Processing And Precooling Eggs"; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,275,588 patented Mar. 10, 1942 to E. Greene on a "Fruit Cooling Apparatus"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,097 patented Mar. 19, 1963 to A. Haller and assigned to Allen C. Blakely and Phyllis T. Blakely on a "Process For Preserving Perishable Products By Refrigeration"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,175 patented Jan. 19, 1965 to J. Kurtz et al and assigned to Automatic Poultry Feeder Company on an "Egg Collection And Transveyor System"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,258 patented Sep. 20, 1966 to R. Liebert on an "Egg Dryer"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,470,996 patented Oct. 7, 1969 to E. Lee et al and assigned to General Foods Corporation on a "Surge Unit"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,591 patented Nov. 30, 1971 to H. Koch et al and assigned to Henry Y. Kuhl and Paul R. Kuhl on a "Device For Ordering Rollable Articles, Delivered In a Disordered Delivery Flow"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,530 patented Jun. 27, 1972 to O. Bridenstine et al and assigned to Phillips Petroleum Company on a "Tray Collar And Tray-Collar Combinations"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,518 patented Sep. 5, 1972 to C. Goltsos and assigned to Teckton, Inc. on a "Refrigerated Conveyor System"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,055 patented Mar. 6, 1973 to G. Shapley et al and assigned to Frick Company on a "Continuous Belt Freezer Having Removable Compartments"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,553 patented Oct. 30, 1973 to H. Sollich and assigned to Sollich OHG on a "Cooling Tunnel"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,389 patented Aug. 27, 1974 to S. Lipona on "Cooling Food Products"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,813 patented Oct. 22, 1974 to L. Driggs and assigned to Nutrionics Machine Corporation on a "Method And Apparatus For Treating Eggs"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,980 patented Dec. 31, 1974 to C. Johnson on a "Process For Preparation And Preservation Of Eggs"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,686 patented May 13, 1975 to B. Rose on a "Method And Apparatus For Cooling Eggs"; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,769 patented May 13, 1975 to J. Weber et al on an "Egg Handling System"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,850 patented May 18, 1982 to R. Drummond on a "Food Product Chiller"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,619 patented Jun. 25, 1991 to R. Cannon and assigned to Robert W. Cannon on a "Method And Apparatus For Incubating And Hatching Eggs"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,492 patented Jan. 3, 1995 to T. Robertson et al and assigned to The Laitram Corporation on a "Conveyor System For Chilling Food Products"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,015 patented Oct. 24, 1995 to J. Venetucci and assigned to Liquid Carbonic Corporation on a "Freezer With Imperforate Conveyor Belt"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,794 patented Dec. 12, 1995 to K. Anderson et al and assigned to North Carolina State University on a "Rapid Chilling Of Shell Eggs Using Cryogenic Gases"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,734 patented Oct. 29, 1996 to H. Niemerg et al and assigned to Krupp Polysius AG on a "Double Layer Cooler"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,836 patented Dec. 9, 1997 to E. Blevins and assigned to Cool Eggspress on a "Modular Loose Egg Cooling, Storage And Transport System And Method"; and U.S. Pat. No. 868,000 patented Feb. 9, 1999 to W. Morris, Jr. et al and assigned to Morris & Associates on an "Auger Type Poultry Chiller With Clumping Prevention".